Cupuaçu, the fruit of the Theobroma Grandiflorum is something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. It’s a close relative of Theobroma Cacao, the cocoa tree, and produces a similar looking fruit that’s filled with a white pulp.

Well I have to wait no longer, as British chocolatier Marc Demarquette has produced these exciting truffles, made with a cupuaçu “ganache”, covered in Brazilian dark chocolate. They’re log shaped, about 2cm long funny looking things to look at. But the taste is really quite interesting.

The filling is 85% cupuaçu, combined with fresh cream and honey, and that honey was the first flavour I picked up. When I first heard about these truffles, I was told they were a Grandiflorum truffle with no actual chocolate at all, so I was initially a little disappointed to discover the other flavours and that they’re covered in a thin layer of 71% dark chocolate.

Luckily though, it’s a very thin layer of dark chocolate, and is probably there to keep the the soft, smooth filling in place as much as anything. It’s a very nice chocolate, but it does make it a little more difficult to pick up on the actual flavour of the Cupuaçu itself.

But let it melt slowly and the other flavours start to come to the front. It’s vaguely chocolatey, quite floral and has some very interesting tropical fruit notes. There are hints of pineapple and a noticeable grapefruit note in the finish. It’s really very nice indeed.

I’d still like to taste the unadulterated cupuaçu, but Marc is a fantastic chocolatier, so I’m certain the other flavours are there for a reason. Recommended for anyone who wants to understand a little more about cacao and its relatives, but even more so for those who just want to try an unusual and flavourful truffle.